To Arms Against Armored Bears
by Leaping Lion
Summary: At the end of the day the Rift must be cleared of all minions and creatures. Oh this evening, something goes wrong.


Annie was a brave girl. She knew it too. She fought against the most vicious of creatures and the strongest champions every day. She wasn't afraid of much.

However, on this night, with the slowly creeping fog surrounding her camp, Annie wasn't feeling very brave. Beside her, her small teddy bear named Tibbers sat. Annie clutched the tiny bear paw and shivered.

"I know, Tibbers. It's just alittle creepy on the Rift tonight." She whispered, looking into the Fog of War. She took a deep breath and summoned up a fireball, throwing it into the camp fire. The smoldering remains shot back to life and some of the fog retreated.

A shuffle in the brush behind her had Annie standing up, her teddy hanging from her hand.

"T-Tibbers?" The teddy bear remained silent and Annie brought it up to her chest, clutching it close.

"Who's ever out there, better watch out! My bear Tibbers will tear you into pieces!" The shuffling stopped, but low growls arose. Something glinted in a brush to her left. The camp fire crackled and rose, the magic reacting to her fear.

A loud roar signaled the start of the fight as something large and metal jumped out of the bushed and attacked Annie.

She gave a scream… and knew no more.

A small sound roused Leona from her daydream. She straightened in her chair before frowning and looking out a nearby window, "Did anyone hear that?"

Gragas slurped his drink loudly on her right, letting out a belch, "Hear what?" He sniffled and brought his drink up to his lips.

Jarvan IV raised an eyebrow at Leona before looking out the same window as she, "Hear? I heard nothing, Lady Leona."

Leona kept looking out the window. She felt something was off, something… or someone wasn't where they were meant to be…"Whose on the rift this night?"

"Annie, Warwick, and young Lux." Gragas answered.

"Have we had any contact with them in the last hour?" Leona asked, getting to her feet and moving to stand at the window, trying to see into the Fog of War.

"Lux sent us a message no more than 10 minutes ago. She said she's cleared the last of the minions from the field and is awaiting word from Annie and Warwick on their work in the jungle."

"Sit back down, Lady Leona. They are seasoned champions; they know how to clear a field." Jarvan IV said, gesturing to her chair.

"Everything is as it normally is at the end of a day."

Leona nodded, forcing away her worries and sat back down. She still however couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Shifting lightly in her chair, Soraka shed her human skin to her cursed form. While she may not be beautiful as she once had been, this form has always felt more... natural. Her magic's always came smoother and calmer in this form.

A small ping had her groaning softly. The ping alerted her to a new champion in the Healing hall. She had spent all day either healing on the Rift or in the hall and her nights were her hours of resting. Obviously some champion, most likely Graves, had gotten into another fight and got sent to be looked at.

Getting to her feet, Soraka stretched and hobbled to the Healing Hall. She pushed open the doors, "And just what do you think you were doin-"

The bed was covered in blood. Shredded cloth covered the bed and the small form of Annie lay motionless.

"Dear Mother…" Soraka whispered under her breath. She stood in shock for a few moments before she forced herself to move. She approached the bed slowly, her eyes looking around for Annie's guardian. When the bear didn't appear, Soraka reached out and laid a hand on Annie's arm.

She lightly shifted Annie to her back and had to hold back a gag. Annie's whole body was covered in deep claw marks. Her clothing barely held itself together and Soraka summoned a blanked in which to cover her.

"Do not worry, child. I will watch over you."

Leona was the first on her feet when a blood covered Soraka pushed open the door to the meeting room. She was limping and her hands shook, but her eyes were filled with horror.

"I bring grave new." Soraka spoke, hands up as if to calm them. Leona walked over, helping the Star Child into a nearby seat.

"Speak, dear Healer. What has happened to you?"

"Not to me." Soraka murmured, looking to Jarvan IV who now stood.

"Young miss Annie was teleported to my hall. She was barely recognizable to the eye. Something attacked her. Some… beast mauled her. I at first suspected her young bear. He was nowhere to be seen, even as she moaned in pain he did not appear." Soraka took a shaky breath, "But, there were no burn marks. Her bear is never without some flames, and I doubt that it attacked her."

"Then what did?"

Pounding feet echoed the hall and soon Garen was turning the corner, his sister Lux laid limp in his arms

"Something attacked my sister! Some dark beast!" Garen yelled, moving to lay his sister at Soraka's feet.

He looked up and glared at Jarvan IV, "You promised she would be safe clearing the field! You said nothing would happen to her!"

Jarvan IV stayed silent, eyes on the table before him. After a minute, he looked up, locking eyes with Leona.

"Summon the Champions. Search the field. Find this creature."

In under an hour, all the champions were summoned and informed of the recent events. Even the newest of champions were shocked and enraged at the attacks to the young Annie and Luxanna.

Groups of no less than three were sent into the rift. Each was given a glowing light to identify each other. Anything that moved and wasn't able to produce the light was to be killed on sight.

Shen, Akali, and Kennen were to search the bushes. Corki, Janna, and Zilean were to watch from the air.

One group, consisting of Cassiopeia, Master Yi, and Teemo, were the first to be attacked by the creature. It only took seconds, but soon all three were unconscious. Another group stumbled upon them 10 minutes later and informed those watching from above so they could be taken to safety.

"How could this have happened?" Taric whispered to his companions. He stalked forward, shield slowly pushing brush from his path. Fizz hopped along beside him, spear holding up their light. The last of the group, Leona, covered their rear, shield and sword glowing.

"Beasts come into the rift all the time. There are families of wolves and golems that thrive in the rift. We try to keep them sub servant, but they are beasts." Leona answered back, looking up when Janna flew over head.

"Group 3 was attacked. No one was hurt, but still. Be cautious and call for help should you encounter the creature." Janna informed them before she floated off.

"Poor Annie…" Fizz gurgled. "She was one of the first to welcome me. How could someone want to hurt her…?"

Leona turned around and squatted down to Fizz's level, "She'll be fine. Annie is a tough one."

Fizz looked up and gave a watery smile, "Thank you." Leona smiled and started to get to her feet when a quick shuffle had her freezing. Fizz looked to her left and from his wide eyes Leona assumed it was the creature.

"_Delicious. Fleshy morsels shall soon be mine. Little one, come to me."_ A primal voice spoke from the bushes. Gravelly and growly, it shifted forward, showing itself to them.

A giant Bear walked forward. His large paws caused the earth to shake and left bloody footprints in their wake. Metal clinked and clanged, glinting from their light. The Bear, this Beast, was covered from head to toe in Armor. His head was but a helmet, except from the glowing red orbs that stuck out from the eye sockets.

"_So Hungry. My last meal was so pitiful. Little Tibbers, yummy little Tibbers."_ It laughed out. Blood covered the beast, sliding out from between the metal plates. Fur was caught between the plates as well, and seemed to pull itself from the Bear's flesh as it moved.

Taric smashed his hammer into the ground, "Are you the foul creature that attacked young Annie and Luxanna?" He brought his hammer up, infusing it with his icy magic.

"_The little girl? Yes, Yes! She was so fun. So fun!"_ The Bear sat back leaning on his hind legs, paws patting its own chest. Metal against metal clinked and the claw became caught in between the plates. The Bear looked down before letting out another laugh and violently pulled its paw from the plate. The metal gave slightly, exposing the bloodied flesh beneath.

"_The other, the pretty young lady. Such light she gave. Wasn't able to play with her though… Ran away she did."_ The Bear looked at them, and roared, moving to stand up on its hind legs.

"_You won't get away though. NO YOU WON'T!"_

The Bear lunged forward, aiming for Fizz who stood his ground, spear held in front. The Bear fell upon the spear, the metal deflecting the weapon. The Bear still came down, as if to crush the young creature.

Leona dashed forward, sword flying out in front of her. She slid down, sliding along the dusty ground and underneath the Bear. She held her shield to her side and she pulled Fizz to her cheast and braced for the Bear to fall.

She gave a gasp as the weight of the armored Bear fell upon her shield. She gave a cry of pain as the pressure began to build.

"_All mine now, how tasty you will be! How Tasty! The woman first. Yes yes, her first! Feel her flesh rip and hear her scream! Can just taste it! Can just Ta-"_

The Bear suddenly gave a scream, as if in pain. A sudden piecing sound filled the small clearing and then all was silent. The weight was suddenly gone and Leona rolled over, letting go of Fizz. Using her shield, she pushed herself to her feet and was filled with relief when she saw Jarvan IV and Nidalee standing over the beast, spears deep in the Bear.

"Taric used the light to call for help. We came as soon as we could." Jarvan IV said, kicking the now dead Bear. "An armored Bear, of all things."

"It was crazed. Talked about eating us. As if we were just… food." Fizz murmured, shaking in fear. Nidalee moved forward, scooping the young Fizz into her arms.

"Calm yourself. This foul creature is gone. This is all over now." She whispered, nuzzling the amphibian.

"No."

They all turned and looked to Udyr as he stepped out of the bushes, his light trailing behind him.

"I've seen these creatures before."

"Before? You mean there are more?" Leona asked, gripping her sword. Udyr looked to her, grim faced.

"There are hundreds."

"We can fight them. This one was not so hard to take down." Jarvan IV intervened, pulling his spear from the dead Bear.

"This is only the beginning. More will come. They will come in groups of hundreds. Nothing can stop them. "

"Then what do we do? We cannot just allow this to happen."

"**Look to the hills! By the gods, what are they?**" A yell echoed the field, causing the small group to look.

Fire seemed to lick at the edges of the hills surrounding the Rift. Black silhouettes rose from the fires, forming into red eyed beasts. Loud growls filled the Rift.

"We run." Udyr said, turning around, before stopping. On the other side, more black silhouettes formed. Everywhere they looked more and more appeared some with weapons, some without.

They were surrounded.

Jarvan IV was the first to lift his spear, followed by Nidalee. Fizz jumped from her arms and gripped his own weapon.

"No. We fight."


End file.
